“The Indonesian government hopes to implement one of the largest ever examples of ‘compulsory licensing,’ which will enable the generic manufacture of drugs still under patent,” IRIN reports. “Under the World Trade Organization’s Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), countries can override patents for public health purposes by…

“India’s Supreme Court on Monday rejected drug maker Novartis AG’s attempt to patent an updated version of a cancer drug in a landmark decision that health activists say ensures poor patients around the world will get continued access to cheap versions of lifesaving medicines,” the Associated Press reports. “Novartis had…

Reuters examines the implications of India’s Supreme Court ruling to overturn a patent on Novartis’s cancer treatment Glivec for the pharmaceutical industry in India and across the developing world. “Stung by a landmark patent defeat, Western drug makers will be wary about launching new products in India, but they cannot…

“South Africa plans to overhaul its intellectual property laws to improve access to cheaper medicines by making it harder for pharmaceutical firms to register and roll-over patents for drugs, a senior official said on Monday,” Reuters reports. The efforts to close “a loophole known as ‘ever-greening,’ whereby drug companies slightly…

“The leaders of three top international organizations in Geneva last week discussed synergies in public health and called for increased collaboration and creativity to [improve] medical innovation,” Intellectual Property Watch reports. “The directors general of the WHO, World Trade Organization and World Intellectual Property Organization addressed the [July 5] opening…

“A wide-ranging Asia-Pacific free trade agreement will not hinder access to affordable medication, the U.S. commerce secretary said on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit that concluded on October 8 in Bali, Indonesia,” IRIN reports. “But activists remain concerned after the closed-door trade talks concluded among” the…

Following approval of “a final deal to keep the [U.S.] government running until January 15, researchers across the nation say their work — some of it already compromised by the budget sequestration — will suffer lasting damage as a result of the 16-day shutdown,” Scientific American reports. “Health surveillance may…

Reuters: Australia demands opponents stop stalling WTO tobacco case “Australia asked five countries challenging its tobacco policies on Wednesday to stop delaying the progress of their cases at the World Trade Organization and took the unusual step of speeding up one of the complaints against itself. … Australia hopes the…

“Indian health activists are seeking to prevent Gilead from patenting its new treatment for Hepatitis C in the country in a fresh battle over affordable access to medicine,” the Financial Times reports. “The Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge in India said it had filed a ‘pre-grant’ application in Calcutta…